Charlton vs Mighty MLJ

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

As previously mentioned, in a previous composite reality that has since been wiped clean by another cosmic crisis in the DC Comics universe, the merging of several parallel planets led to the incorporation of the Mighty Crusaders of Earth-MLJ and the Action-Heroes of Earth-Four, twin teams originating in Archie and Charlton Comics. As such, although the concepts were still there at their core, they were radically revised to incorporate modern sensibilities and to water down their impact on their world.

The reason for the former was that, for instance, having a guy known as the Web simply being a criminologist wasn't enough... he had to be a blending of Tony Stark/Peter Parker, and similarly with Captain Atom... he needed to ditch the conventional costumes of his silver age incarnations for a shiny skin and sassy style. And the reason for the latter is that this world already had their premier superhero team, the Justice League, and their original team of mystery men, the Justice Society. These guys couldn't outshine DC's finest of the past and present, so they both were made into essentially G-Men working as federal agents when the need arose, which was seldom it seemed. For the original Shield and Captain Atom, that worked since they were government agents as it was and in their own worlds they had plenty to do, setting the tone for their fellow fabulous folk to follow. Sadly but logically, neither the Crusaders nor the Sentinels of Justice could get much traction in this scenario.

Thankfully, with a new DCU now in existence this sad state has been wiped clean, at least for the Crusaders who return to their native world to pickup where they left off welcoming in a new generation of heroes... who look to them as their "Justice League" or "Society". If only the good Captain and his costumed crew could say the same, since they remain on a world not their own and one that will never treat them as they should be treated. However, glimmers of Earth-Four where the Sentinels of Justice operated can still be found through the Multiverse!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Avengers weren't the first... as in a superhero team movie. The X-Men franchise and the Watchmen movie had glimmers of this concept perculating throughout their various tales. However, the Avengers cemented how divergent heroes can unite for a common cause with nothing bonding them save for equal parts tenacity and talent. Not a mutant-tie nor a mystery-tie... but the true tie that binds... heroism in the face on indominable odds. While we can dream that Charlton's Action-Heroes and Archie's Mighty Crusaders may someday grace the silver screen with their presence, nothing can match what transpired when Marvel Comics' Sensational Sextet saved their world!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

File this away in the "what if" folder for our Crusaders and Sentinels. Comprising the "other" publishers during the successful silver age of comics, both the Archie-heroes and Action-Heroes attempted to find a niche for themselves. Without sustained success.

For the Crusaders, the quickly devolved into a derivative more mimicing Marvel's Avengers, and to some extent DC's golden age All-Stars of the Justice Society. Despite having several characters that were the first in respective manners during comic's golden age and some potential promise in their newer crop of characters, Radio/Archie leaned heavily upon what worked for others instead of what would separate them as special.

For the Action-Heroes during their pre-Sentinels days, they were truly original and their tales were at times unique. Yet the dramatic departure of their plot elements and narrative style became a bit to impalatable for the young readers they were trying to entice. As a result, they folded almost as quickly as they had first appeared.

When both were reinvented in the 1980's, the Crusaders and the new Sentinels of Justice once more fell into form as "Justice League" and "Avengers" wannabes, even moreso than they had been decades earlier. Only when both were acquired by DC Comics were they given the opportunity to fully depart from the "team" template of the "Big 2" publishers, leading to substantial runs for their individual members. Ironic!

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Laurie Juspeczyk﻿ was a legacy heroine, following the footsteps of her mother, the original Silk Spectre. While adopting her alter ego and senses of style, she deviated in her own sensibilities which led her into a romance with Doctor Manhattan, against her mother's wishes. How would that relationship develop given the Doctor's metamorphic nature, as he had become more than human, will no doubt be dissected in Before Watchmen.

In a similar vein, a new Fly-Girl debuts in the city of Red Circle, and like the original Kimberly Brand, she takes to the sky adept in her awesome abilities. Would love come to influence this young maiden as well, and if so, who would capture her heart? Since there seems to be no Fly-Man on the horizon, would it be the jock Steel Sterling Jr, who could match her muscle? The brainy Web, who could match her interest in all things insect? The hothead Fireball, who could match her interest in a "bad boy"? The noble Comet, who could do the exact opposite to that of Fireball... and keep up with her in mid-air? Interesting developments are on the horizon...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Who watches the Watchmen, Before Watchmen were in vogue? We will find out as DC Comics launches this cast of Charlton-homage characters back into the spotlight. And amongst the headliners will be Nite-Owl, aka affluent inventor Daniel Dreiberg﻿, who utlizied his love for birds and gadgets to supplement his true love of superheroics. Adopting the alter ego of his hero, the original Nite-Owl, Dreiberg had a modest career alongside his fellow costumed Crimebusters.

Another legacy hero is that of Evette, a young women taken under the wing of the original Jaguar in his zoologist Ralph Hardy identity, who ultimately steps out of the shadows and into the light as his heir-apparent. Considering that Jaguar had his own Rescue Squad which included three lovely ladies who each adored Hardy's alter ego, specifically one known as Cat-Girl, it seems natural that another would gravitate towards the swashbuckling hero and join the New Crusaders.

What we learn of Evette after her heroic debut, and of Daniel Before Watchmen, will be interesting tales told in the months ahead...

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

A meeting of the minds between these two mentalists would be magnificent! The new Web is cut from a similar mode to that of his father, who was himself the second man with that alter ego, although unlike his pop John Raymond this lad isn't a henpecked husband. And hence, he would be able to obtain the full potential first unleashed by granddad the criminologist turned crimefighter of the 1940's.

However, there is seemingly no comparison to Ozymandias, who was himself a one-and-only child prodigy who distanced himself from his own successful parents. When Adrian Veidt grew to maturity and assumed the identity of his alter ego, he realized that having the peak physical and mental condition amongst his fellow humans was insufficient to the task at hand... of saving the world. Before Watchmen, he was an erstwhile member of the shortlived Crimebusters, until he realized he must strike it on his own to acheive his amoral ends. Will the young Web fall into the same trap that had befallen Ozymandias, or will he lean heavily upon his comrades on the New Crusaders?

Sunday, April 15, 2012

The tragic tale of Doctor Manhattan is the stuff of legends. Jonathan Osterman was a scientist in love, and that love left him with more... and less... than he had bargained for. Trapped in an intrinsic field experiment test chamber while he tried to retrieve a watch for his girlfriend Janey, which vaporizes then reconstitutes him into something much more than human. He would be the Paragon of Power amongst he colleagues in the Crimebusters superhero group.

And now, stepping into the void left behind by another scientist known as John Dickerson is his adopted son, who is describe as a "nobler" spirit than that of his mentor... yet possessing the same awe-inspiring array of abilities. How will this young man blend in with his more down-to-Earth comrades of the New Crusaders will be determined in the weeks and months to come. As will how the good Doctor on a parallel planet to the Comet carved out his own unique niche through the decades.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

So we have the sequel and the prequel. The warm-up and the wind-down. Well maybe not quite that, but definitely two bookends to twin fantastic franchises forgotten by fickle fandom. While we have considered the quite possible downside of Archie's new reimagination of their Crusader concept and DC's of the Charlton characters, there is another upside to also consider, in all fairness.

Consider that the Charlton homage that turned into a literary classic, the Watchmen, is being reconsidered from the groundup... or rather, from the missing pieces left to fit the grand puzzle together that was the 12-issue maxi-series from the 80's. Although this may not go well, it is more promising than DC's take on the originals from Charlton, given that only Captain Atom seems viable at this point and only in a radically redundant role. After all, another "nuclear man" or Man of Tomorrow-wannabe is all Atom seems capable of being portrayed as at the House that Superman built.

As for the "New" Crusaders, they may be able to capture something that failed to ignite with their progentiors, filling in a niche with the youth market that the silver age crop never could. Seriously, if the actual "Archie" crop of creators lent a hand like they seem to be now, they would find a way to manuever their myriads of mystery men into the minds of meandering middle-schoolers. Consider, Archie has been able to carve a serious niche for themselves based on a sixty-year love triangle, what could they do with such a diverse crop of cool cats as the Crusaders?

This bares further investigation, which rest assured we shall do, in the months to come...

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Charlton had an inordinate number of "street-level" superheroes, i.e. non-powered costumed crusaders. The only ones that had demonstrative superhuman attributes during the silver age "Action-Heroes" era was Captain Atom and Nightshade. Nevertheless, these individuals harkened back to the 1940's Justice Society of America, which also had several "normal" members amongst their ranks. How would these twin teams compare in a head-to-head matchup? Let's see:

Sandman vs Peacemaker - Two helmeted heroes with non-lethal guns designed to immobilize their foes. Armed with tremendous wealth, inventive minds and true tenacity. Howeve, Peacemaker had more technology on his side. Advantage: Peacemaker.

Starman vs Captain Atom - Energy-weilding avengers, harnessing cosmic radiation unabling them to manipulate fundamental forces. In a matchup, both would fare well in battle, however Starman depends on his Cosmic Rod to empower him while the Captain possessed his superpowers due to his accidental origin. Advantage: Captain Atom.

The Atom vs the Question - Fierce fist-fighters, charging into battle unreservedly showing the depth of their courage and conviction. Question can talk a mean blue-streak on philosophy and so forth, however when atomically powered the Atom's superstrength and "atomic punch" makes him hard to beat in this head-to-head. Advantage: The Atom.

Wildcat vs Judomaster - The heavy weight champion of the world and the judo master of the world. Fists and feets a-flying. Random rage against methodic might. If this thing went more than a couple rounds, and it would... Advantage: Wildcat.

Black Canary vs Nightshade (neither shown) - The fine fighting femmes are skilled in multiple disciplines in the martial arts. Each came equipped with various gadgets as well. However, Nightshade is able to phase into shadows. Advantage: Black Canary.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Kimberly Brand is one fly girl who, also, happens to be The Fly-Girl. Whether wearing blonde hair or as a brunette, she definitely dressed to impress in her sleek green and yellow superheroine suit. While her classic leotards definitely echoes standard silver age costumes of her peers, the latter Brand wore a different brand with bold tints of her primary color and very strange googles with a garish skull-cap. We prefer the original to the new, although the new had some potential from the neck down.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

My oh my how Ms. Eve Eden has been reinvented since her initial debut. From the rather odd mini-skirt style that anchored her firmly in the 1960's, she has been transformed into a 20th century Shadow Lass (of the Legion of Super-Heroes), although with the exact opposite skin color. And a little Huntress/Catwoman thing going on with her mask. Not much of an improvement, although at least the "goggle mask" went away. Whew!

Friday, April 6, 2012

From the Shield's initial appearence in the 1940s, a similar style debuted with the 1960s rendition of the character, although the colors were inverted and Lancelot Strong had a more traditional superhero stylized suit. When the original Shield's son appeared and, years later, his father Joe Higgins, we once more saw the more unorthodox gloves and boots. And no "outer underwear﻿". Now that a new Shield is heralding a new era of Crusaders, the golden age Shield now seems to be wearing a uniform that is a collision of both styles, in a bulky and unweildy uniform! Yuck.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

How Captain Atom has changed through the years. From being a superpowered soldier in clad classic silver age costumes, he would be reinvented in a modern era with a nice silvery "containment" suit that expanded the initial silver sleeves to his entire body. The new appearence definitely an upgrade over the original, all sentiments aside.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

As Archie Comics reinvigorates their superhero franchise with yet another rendition of the Mighty Crusaders, the Charlton cast of characters languish in the storehouses of DC Comics as acquired properties awaiting assimiliation into their main Multiverse of metahumans. However, which situation provides the best oppportunity for Charton vs Mighty MLJ to once more claim the captive attention of comicdom? As a web-only endearvor such as the Crusaders will be granted, with focus on just them yet without the marketing push of mainstream comics, or the ability to be ready-for-print in a big time publisher that the Charlton cast of characters has access to, albeit as background players?

With the advent of a "Steel Sterling Jr" over on Earth-MLJ, can there not be a Sarge Steel the Second lurking around the Multiverse as well? Given the number of potential marriage mates the Sarge encountered throughout the years, it would seem logical that eventually he would feel the need to settle down. In the potential Earth-Four i.e. Earth-Charlton upon which the original Sarge resided, time would tick down at about the same rate as on MLJ, and he would be well into his sixties at the point. Perhaps one day in another web-only venture, should the Crusaders succeed, DC might attempt the same for its acquired "Action-Heroes" from the town of Derby, we may find out...

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Tommy and Jason Troy had lives that mirrored one another, to a point. Both lads when they received amulets allowing them to transform into the Fly men, both men gained superhuman abilities that were virtually identitcal. In a head-to-head matchup, Tommy as the original from Archie Comics would beat out Jason given his maturity﻿ and years of experience, having a longer and more prestigious career. Otherwise, it would be a toss up should they one day have to face each other.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Since the Ted Kord before Charlton's world was absorbed in DC and after its assimiliation is virtually the same, we'll consider Ted's alter ego versus Jaime Reyes, each an heir to the title of Blue Beetle. While neither was the original, they each have aptly shown they can carry on with the decades long tradition started by Dan Garrett in the 1940s. However, our focus is how these two would fare if faced with one another. Of course, as Reye's wears an alien armor derived from Garrett's scarab, itself extraterrestrial technology virtually actualized in Reyes. Allowing itself to configure into a variety of weaponry, the suit makes Reyes more than a match for Kord with his strobe gun. And unlike Ted's flying "Bug", which is an artificial intelligence of man-made design, the scarab suit mainframe is highly structured. The only advantage Ted would have over Jaime is his athletic and intellectual capabilities, while Jaime is still discovering how to maximize his own innate abilities.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Ralph Hardy, the noted archeologist and secretly the crimson crusader known as the Jaguar, was noted for being a ladies man. However, he may just meet his match should he ever encounter Maria de Guzman, herself the Jaguar in another universe. Both gained superhuman physiques including strength, agility and reflexes as well as senses unmatched amongst their fellow humans. However, while Ralph's power was dervied from a belt he was bequeathed with, Maria gained her powers through her heriditary lineage. Who would win in a match versus each of these feline furies? Maria, who would steal Ralph's heart, of course! Although Cat Girl may have something to say about this encounter, since hardy is her man!

Monday, March 5, 2012

When Captain Allen Adam was caught in an atomic accident, he became the most powerful man on his world.... but how would he stack up against a later version from another parallel planet? On the composite post-Crisis Earth, a new Captain Atom aka Nathaniel Adam was present to be one of a crowd of costumed crusaders. As a result, his power seemed to be amped up to levels never reached before, yet amongst his peers he was still only mid-range amongst the superheroes. As for how each would stack up in a battle versus one another, the pure-energy Nathaniel would have the edge over the irradiated human Allen.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

At long last, after an absence of two and a half decades, aside from the occasional cameos in crossovers with the Archie/Riverdale gang, the real Red Circle gang returns. Or at least, their forebearer... the Shield... several years older and showing his age at last. Introducing a new generation of heroes is an entice prospect, and given that the original publisher is stated as commiting to continuing the continuity of the MLJ originals is a project diehard fans will appreciate. It is our sincere wish that the Charlton crew likewise one days gain their own seperate niche, apart from the crowd scenes of DC's universe.

With that in mind, Judomaster would fit nicely as the Shield doppleganger in such an endeavor, as he as well would've aged somewhat since his last "Charltonesque" appearance on a separate Earth in the mid-1980s. A new generation debuting in the style of the "Boys from Derbe" would definitely have a unique spin to it, as we'd previously seen with a new iteration of the Blue Beetle and characters like E-Man that took concepts such as Captain Atom and turned them on their head. With a newer version of the Comet, Web, Inferno, Web-Girl, Jaguar and Steel Sterling setting the pace in Archie's updated universe... one wonders what became of the originals.. Are these the children of the Mighty Crusaders, carrying on their parents' proud tradition? Particularly, the though of a Web-Boy sired by John and Rose Raymond would be interesting, given his mother's apprehension towards heroics. And who would Jaguar-Girl's mom be, given that the original Ralph Hardy was a ladies man with at least three different love interests who formed his Jaguar Rescue Squad!

This Archie adventure excites yours truly than a "new 52" mired in a mob scene. Perhaps DC will see the success of Archie's new line of characters... should they stick with them and make them true to their core concepts... and create a new world for the refuges of Charlton. And we're not talking about the "pre-Watchmen" tales... but the originals themselves!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

When the Boy Wonder debuted in 1940﻿ as the costumed crusader, Robin, he set a new trend that would be replicated with virtually every comicbook company and many major heroes, from then till today. Although a sidekick was always a component in the mystery men mythos, having one so young and eager to dress up like his mentor was revolutionary. And, in fact, MLJ Comics replicated this success by giving two of its premier protectors... the Shield and Wizard... their own teen titans in Dusty and Roy. Not only did these lads work well with their surrogate papas, but also as partners with one another in a short-lived series of their own during that time period.

They were even given prominent nicknames, with Dusty being the Boy Detective and Roy as the Superboy (Dusty's was evident in his solo adventures as a young sleuth, Roy's affectation was not so much evident, considering he couldn't fly like another Superboy who came later). Decades after these two lads disppeared in the mists of time, only to be brought back in a mid-1960s cameo in the Mighty Crusaders as time-lost teens with no explanation where they have been in the intervening years, another would take up the mantle at Charlton Comics.

With the strong series lead of Judomastser, himself also from the same 1940s era as Robin, Dusty and Roy, working solo versus various villains... there was a need for a partner in his never-ending battle. Enter Tiger, who in his short tenure alongside his mentor showed that he too lived up to the examples of is forebearers. And at least his story as an adult, both as Nightshade's tutor and as supervillains even later, had a sense of completion unlike his MLJ peers.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

While Archie Andrews and his pals had met some golden age superheroes back in the mid-1940s, including his number one hero﻿ the Shield, it was in the 1990s when he met the strangest hero ever. Or more accurately, an anti-hero, in the Punisher. Formerly Frank Castle, a battle-hardened veteran who lost his family due to a malevolent mob, took up his vigilante alter ego to strike terror in crime. Eventually, he was drawn to the peaceful burg of Riverdale, tracking down "Red" Fever for the government, and encountered Red's near-double in Archie Andrews. After a brief and tense first meeting, Punisher left the teen behind to continue tracking down his quarry through the streets of Archie's hometown. Turns out, Fever had a trump card of his own in case he had been cornered.

Disguising himself as Melvin Jay, a young entrepreneur, Fever took out Archie's on-again off-again girlfriend Veronica Lodge to a dance. Using her as a hostage in a standoff versus the Punisher, it ended up being Red's lookalike Archie who clumsily took down the criminal, with the aid of an old friend of his. As Fever was pulled from the social scene into the sky above, his foot hooked to a rope tied to a float of the Shield, Riverdale was safe once more from the criminal element. And so, Frank Castle bid his new acquaintences adieu. And they, for their part, eventually forgot about this entire surreal episode!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Just a reminder folks, that your humble blogger has been delving into the deep end of the DC Multiverse with its rich history and thousands of characters for the past few years with more to come. Since both the Charlton and the MLJ/Archie heroes have been blended into DC Megaverse from time to time, there is a connection between those characters and these. For instance, we see both of Riverdale's lovely lasses Veronica clad in Wonder Woman's gear, as is Betty as Supergirl, for which there is quite a bit to say on each subject. Come by for a visit in the DC Multiverse and stay awhile!